Australia's blurred separation between church and state | Katherine Stewart

constitutional ambiguity has led to the undue influence of religion in schools, and Australia is not alone in this respect,

Ron Williams knew something was wrong when his six-year-old son came home from public school in Queensland gospel singing songs. A jazz singer, composer and father of six, Williams discovered that his son took his bearings from the school chaplain - one of thousands installed in Australia's public schools at public expense. Williams and his wife, Andrea, who was grounded in faith fundamentalist school, asked the school chaplain to keep your child's class. When other children discovered, began to mock him, saying he would go to hell.

older children in the Williams later came home with a "Biblezine" that the school chaplain was given to all 1500 students at the school. The magazine promotes a religious fundamentalist clearly taken on sexuality and relationships. "Condoms promote promiscuity ..." said an article. "God does not call their alternative lifestyle," said another article of the same sex. "He calls it a sin."

Constitutions, courts sometimes more important. Constitution of Australia said that the lack of clarity in the separation of church and state, and the High Court made a muddy troubled situation in recent decades, with phrases that have undermined the secular nature Community. Constitution of Australia has a clause that prohibits the Commonwealth making a law "to" the establishment of "any" religion. In contrast, the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which served as a model for the Australians, in this case, says Congress shall make no law "on the establishment of religion". In 1981, judges of the Superior Court, which depend in part on a sophisticated reading of the words "for" and "everything", he concluded that the Constitution of Australia does not in fact ensure the separation of Church and State. Therefore, a program that confirmed channels - and still does - taxpayer money to religious schools that operate largely free of public scrutiny

In 2001, Australian politics has shifted to the right and in 2006, the conservative Howard Government has decided that the state should pay for religion in public schools. Thus was born the National School Chaplaincy Program. There are nearly 3,000 chaplains in public schools such as Australia, and the program is expanding under the Labour Government. Although many religious affiliations is in Australia, the vast majority of evangelical chaplains belong to Christian sects.

Exactly what chaplains are supposed to do is clear. The guidelines suggest that should provide spiritual counseling to children, but at the same time, they are forbidden to proselytize or offer advice. Much evidence suggests that many of the chaplains actually do both.

When nine year old mother of the Northern Territory Cathy de la Cruz, the son, Aidan, started showing signs of stress, the school asked for help. Five months after the initial request, he learned that his son was disturbed not to see a qualified therapist, but a school without relevant qualifications chaplain. She was indignant, and a mediator has concluded that the case involved a serious violation of program guidelines. David Stokes, senior director of professional practice in the Psychological Society of Australia, said the chaplaincy program dangerous. "We think the absolute abuse of funds to pool resources in people who are misequipped to manage the types of situations in schools," he says. "They have stepped over that boundary very professional regularly." Even the Anglican Church has his doubts.

• Beau Walker, a young man who recently served as chaplain of the school, admits that he had "no training" and I was fully prepared to deal with children with traumatic events such as loss of family members. "The guidelines say that no advice, but what else can you do?" He said. Chaplains are not supposed to teach, but some were involved in training activities. Gympie State School in Queensland, organized with Chaplain is optional midi "scientific conference". The presentation was John Mackay, an avowed creationist who holds that dinosaurs coexisted with humans.

defenders of the program said that chaplains are well loved by most children and provide support to children through personal or family problems. All that may be true, but poses the question: If the State believes that children need psychological support, why not hire people trained to offer? The chaplaincy program is presented as an investment in education, but in reality it is a diversion of resources from education to religion.

In November 2009, Williams decided to sue. In exercising its right to intervene, the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania agreed with a key argument for the rights of countries presented by Williams the case. A decision could take months or even days away.

Aa Americans could, at first glance, we are proud of the Constitution of the United States and in interpreting the Constitution as embodied in the decisions of the Supreme Court, as in the case of Everson v. Board of Education 1947, that require a clear separation between church and school. But on second glance, Americans should find a cause for concern. In the last two decades, the most conservative of the Supreme Court of the United States has systematically undermined the Establishment Clause with respect to public schools. We have not yet school chaplains, but do not let school programs that allow adults outside assertion that young children are more or less what they are. Public funding of religious schools is still technically unconstitutional in the U.S. - but the court now says that the voucher programs that have the same effect as not
trends eroding the separation of church and state are global in nature. In a world of income inequality is perhaps more to expect that some powerful forces are interested in replacing the teaching of religion and religious fundamentalism appears to be rising to meet the need. The court's decision will ultimately be the law in Australia, but also can give us a reading on the state of the world.

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